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Windows and Doors: Christmas Retailing Tips

Ottawa’s Window and Door Retailers Can Have Happy Holidays with These 3 Steps

With so much holiday spending going on, the Christmas season might not seem like a busy time in Ottawa for windows and doors shopping. But aside from December being the holiday season, it’s also the beginning of winter. Suddenly, drafts that either went unnoticed or just didn’t really make a difference in the summer will certainly start to send a chill through people’s homes. December is also a busy season for hosting guests. It’s a time when people—whether hosting family, friends, or co-workers—want their homes to look and feel warm and cozy. So how can windows and doors retailers prepare for an inevitable rush? Here are a few solutions to facilitate Christmas success.

Keep Enough Stock

First things first, Ottawa windows and doors retailers need to make sure they have enough supply to meet the seasonal demand. It’s best to assume that during the Christmas season your customers’ schedules are busier than normal and waiting a few weeks for new product to arrive won’t be an option for everyone—especially if they’re losing heat. If you want to keep the sale in-house, make sure you have plenty of inventory on hand and up-to-date.

Keep Customers Informed

If you plan on closing shop for a day or two, or switching to holiday hours so staff can spend time with their families, make sure you let your customers know by posting the information on your website, in-store and on your social media channels. Keeping your customers informed is important in every industry, but even more so when response time is critical to customer service satisfaction. For most people, windows and doors are not a frequent purchase, which means many customers will be reaching out for information and advice.

Keep Suppliers Informed

If you plan on increasing the stock from your regular supplier (as mentioned above), make sure to place the revised order in time. Last-minute orders run the risk of not coming in on time and also may face additional charges. Because windows and doors are typically a need-based purchase, having a product and logistics strategy in place will help ensure the product is both available and reasonably-priced when your customers need it.

Christmas can be one of the most lucrative seasons for businesses—even Ottawa windows and doors retailers, though you wouldn’t typically think of them as holiday hot spots. The key to maintaining a successful month, and ending the year with a bang, is as easy as a little strategy and some extra preparation.